


The Nexus

by thievinghippo



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2018-03-30
Packaged: 2018-11-02 19:53:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10951581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thievinghippo/pseuds/thievinghippo
Summary: Mass Effect: Andromeda stories, prompts fics, and stories. Will feature several different Ryders and pairings. Each chapter will be marked!





	1. Jaal - a kiss to make you stay

Jaal decides to kiss her like they have all the time in the galaxy. A lie, of course, but one he happily tells himself, if only because Ryder fits so perfect in his arms.

They’re on his mattress in the tech room, Jaal on his back, knees up, with Ryder straddling his hips, her body flush against his. Their bodies don’t quite fit together right, not like this, but Jaal doesn’t mind. What’s a slight discomfort when he’s kissing the most amazing woman in the galaxy?

Ryder ends the kiss. “Tann is going to calling the ship any second now,” she says and he hears an apology in her voice.

“Here we are happily kissing and you speak of Tann?” Jaal ask with a laugh.

“That’s one way to kill the mood,” Ryder says with a smirk. But then she kisses him again and all thoughts of Tann leave his head. Instead, he concentrates on learning the shape of her ass with the palms of his hands.

Hard to believe only two weeks have passed since they kissed for the first time, since they agreed to be together. The happiest two weeks of Jaal’s life, as far as he’s concerned. He’s not seen her nearly as much as he’d like in these past two weeks - she is so busy - but it makes these stolen moment all the more special to him.

Ryder’s eyes lower to his lips, only for a moment, before she’s looking back at him. “I really need to go,” she whispers. But then she leans forward again and kisses him. Jaal takes that as an invitation, holding her close, one hand on the back of her neck, one hand on her ass.

“Just a moment more,” he says, lifting his hips slightly. He wants her to know how she has affected him, how his body happily responds to her alien touch.

Ryder moans into his mouth and it’s just about the most amazing sound he’s ever heard. She presses down, grinding her hips against his, and it almost makes Jaal feel young again. Clumsy fumblings in the dark. Even fully clothed, the friction threatens to send him over the edge. It has been so long since he’s been with someone he loves. He’s cared for all his lovers since Allia, of course. But loved them? Only Ryder.

“Jaal,” she says, bracing her hands on his shoulders. Her hips press down harder, and he can’t help but lift his own hips, rubbing against her. His breath hitches, perhaps she means to bring them both to completion? Oh, how he could use the sweet release.

 _Ryder._ The sound of SAM’s voice makes them both stop at once. _Director Tann is ready for your vid call. It would be best not to keep him waiting much longer._

“Like I’m in any sort of state to talk to Tann right now,” Ryder says, shaking her head. Her voice is shakes slightly and a thrill of pride shoots through him. _He_ did that.

She looks down at him, a small smile on her face. Jaal reaches up, smoothes out her hair, trying to make it look like it did before they started rutting like teenages on his mattress. But hair confounds him a bit and he can’t get it to lay quite right.

“I better go,” Ryder says, standing up. Already Jaal misses the pressure and heat of her body against his groin.

She pulls down her shirt and Jaal tries not to smirk when he realizes that her eyes are staring at the bulge between his legs. But then Ryder lifts her chin and marches toward the door. She stops just before it opens. “We’ll talk later.”

“Until then, darling one,” Jaal says, not even trying to hide the lust in his voice.

Ryder disappears out of sight, and Jaal lets out a slow breath. She wants him. She might want him as much as he wants her. It’s a heady thought, to be wanted by someone.

He’ll just have to figure out how they might be able to join together. He doesn’t like the idea of their first time together being on the ship, when anyone can interrupt them and reminders of the pressure of their responsibilities surround them. Where else can they go? They sadly are not spoiled for choice. But then inspiration hits.

Aya.

He’ll take her to Aya. Maybe that bit of perfection near his favorite waterfall. She deserves no less. Then, they can take their time and truly give each other pleasure.

Jaal sits up, adjusting his pants, willing his erection to disappear. If he’s going to give Ryder a perfect afternoon on Aya, he’ll need to call in some favors, and favors can take time.

Best he get to work.


	2. Jaal - you nearly died kiss

Jaal watches Ryder walk towards the Remnant console and the taste of fear clings to the back of his throat. Yet he does nothing as she reaches out and places her palm on the interface, only watches. He cannot ask her not to try, as that is asking her not to be herself, not to be the woman he fell in love with.

So his eyes never leave Ryder even as he hears the sound of ships waking, of the armada that she has impossibly raised. She makes a speech, and he is grateful that she is now alert and speaking clearly, not like earlier in the base, when all she did was cling to a Remnant console muttering, “We need to get back.”

Then there is nothing more to do except get on the ship. Jaal starts to walk to Ryder, to offer an arm to hold, an ear to listen, _something_. But Lexi cuts in front of him and places her hand at the small of Ryder’s back, escorting her into the ship.

All Jaal can do is follow them. Lexi is taking scans with her omni-tool even as they walk. Ryder is doing her best to keep up but he sees how her steps aren’t quite as long, her shoulders sagging slightly.

She is hurting and it is killing him.

Jaal doesn’t ask permission as he slips into the medbay, watching silently as Lexi helps Ryder onto one of the medical beds. As Lexi walks to her desk, Ryder meets his gaze with a stern look of her own.

“Brooding in the corner, Jaal? Really?” Ryder asks as she props herself up on her elbows. “I’m _fine._

He opens his mouth to answer when Lexi says, “You are not fine. Being disconnected from SAM like that should have killed you.”

“And yet here I am.”

He doesn’t want to think about Ryder dying, especially not in front of him, so he walks to the bed next to her and sits on the edge. Her fingers are tapping the bed and Jaal knows she wants to get out of the medbay to start prepping for the fight. He should be doing the same, contacting Evfra to ensure that the resistance is there to help claim Meridian from the Kett.

Yet he stays next to Ryder.

“Well, I’m not seeing any permanent damage,” Lexi says and Jaal’s heart unclenches in relief. “I’d prefer you to get some rest before we reach Meridian, but I know that won’t happen. Just try not to exert yourself too much, please.”

“No promises, Lexi, not when we’re this close,” Ryder says as she stands up. Jaal loves that she does not lie to Lexi, does not try to placate her with false promises. She simply tells the truth.

“If that headache I know you have gets any worse, I can give you some pain meds,” Lexi says.

Ryder shakes her head. “I need to stay clear for this.” She looks up at Jaal. “Come on, let’s talk strategy.”

Jaal follows her out of the medbay. Once the door closes behind them, he checks to see if anyone is in the hallway. It is clear, and he takes Ryder’s hand. She tenses slightly but it gratifies him to see that she does not look around to see if anyone is watching.

They walk into her quarters and once they are safely alone, he holds out his arms. A sense of safety, of security washes over him as she wraps her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder.

The term _rabaon_ floats in his mind. Those who share souls and find each other life after life. There are times Jaal thinks it must apply to Ryder, she is that precious to him. But what of his past lives? He thinks of those men and women and wonders if they felt incomplete somehow, all because their _rabaon_ was asleep for six hundred years, crossing dark space to finally find him. 

As he strokes her hair, he does not say that he worried for her, that he felt scared and helpless as he watched her work the Remnant without SAM. Ryder knows for she knows his heart as well as he knows hers.

Jaal lifts her chin with a finger and takes a moment to look into her dark green eyes. They are beautiful, even when they are shaped so differently from his own.

There is so much he wants to say but the truth is, he is tired, and cannot find the words. So he leans down and kisses her, gently at first. But then her arms tighten around him, her fingers digging into his waist.

Matching her passion with his own, his tongue slips into her mouth while his arms bring her in as close as possible. He is certain they will never be close as he would like, but Jaal decides then and there that Ryder is his _rabaon_ , and sharing souls will work instead.

They are both breathing heavily when the kiss ends. Jaal keeps his arms around her as he rests his brow against hers. “I love you,” he whispers.

“I love you, too,” Ryder says and his heart thrills to the words. She loves _him_. “We better get to work.”

Jaal takes both her hands and brings them up to his lips. She is still wearing gloves, but it’s the gesture that matters. “I’ll be in the tech room,” he says. He does not wish to be parted from her right now, but they both have calls to make, people to reach out to.

“I’ll be here. I need to contact the Nexus,” Ryder says, squeezing his hand. Such a little gesture, but it means everything to him.

Jaal nods, then walks out of her room, the room he considers more and more to be his as well. Once the door closes behind him, he starts to climb the stairs, his purpose before him.

Ryder wants help to capture Meridian? He will make sure she has an army like no other.

She deserves no less.


	3. Vetra - a kiss we had to wait for

“Want to ditch these losers?” Vetra asks, her mandibles stretching out in a grin. 

“Read my mind,” Ryder says, wagging her eyebrows as she and Vetra start to walk from the group that formed. Thanks to a live broadcast, she suddenly realizes that if anyone involved in the Initiative was curious about her relationship status, those questions are now pretty much answered. 

All she wants is to get back to the  _ Tempest  _ and crawl into bed. Maybe she and Vetra can share a kiss or two before passing out and sleeping for a million years. Her head is  _ pounding. _

“Gale.” 

“Hold that thought,” Ryder says, her stomach churning at the sound of Scott’s voice. They’ll have a wait a minute for their victory kiss. Vetra will understand. 

She walks up to the medical stretcher he’s getting strapped into. “How’s the hero of the hour feeling?” she asks. 

Scott looks exhausted, and she doesn’t blame him at all. She remembers after Dad died and the Pathfinder transfer, just how tiring it was to try to sort everything out. 

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” he asks. He grins just enough that she knows he’s going to be okay. “You saved everyone, not me.” 

“Couldn’t have done it without you, little brother,” Ryder says, putting her hand on top of his. “Which makes you the hero. No takebacks.” 

“My head really hurts,” Scott says quietly. “Think they’ll let me sleep for another six hundred years?” 

Next to her, Harry Carlyle coughs. “Sorry to interrupt the reunion, but I really want to get Scott back to the Cryobay.” 

Scott nods and before closing his eyes, says, “Visit me later, sis, after you’ve gotten some sleep.” 

“Will do,” Ryder says as she squeezes his hand. 

Harry starts to push the stretcher and Ryder feels Vetra put a hand on her shoulder. “He’ll be okay,” Vetra says. “He has to be okay.” 

Ryder turns back to Vetra and public be damned. She takes Vetra’s hand and is ready to pull her in close, when- “Now let’s take a look at you, Ryder.” 

“Really, Lexi?” Ryder says, dropping Vetra’s hand. 

“Really,” Lexi says in a no-nonsense voice. It’s a voice that Ryder’s learned to respect over the past year. “I just need to run a few scans. You’re running on far too much adrenaline.” 

“I’m going to head back to the ship,” Vetra says quietly. Ryder’s not the best at turian subvocals, not yet, but she thinks she hears an apology. “I should let Sid know I’m okay. Find me when you’re done?” 

“Absolutely,” Ryder says. Lexi starts her tests and Ryder doesn’t even try to pay attention. All she does is watch her girlfriend walk towards the  _ Tempest _ , with just a little more sway in her hips than usual. 

Almost ten minutes pass before Lexi’s satisfied. “Try to get a full night’s sleep, Ryder,” she says. “Please?”

Ryder nods. Sleep actually sounds wonderful right now. But so does having some alone time with Vetra. “Can I go?” 

“Go on,” Lexi says. “Don’t have too much fun, though.” 

“Thank you!” Ryder says over her shoulder, already on the way to the ship. She doesn’t run; someone would absolutely stop her if she runs. She’s  _ brisk. _

The ramp is down on the  _ Tempest _ and Ryder takes extra long steps as she walk up into the Cargo Hold. The door to Vetra’s room is open and Ryder doesn’t hesitate. 

Vetra’s kneeling down in front of a crate, probably already taking inventory to see what she can trade with the  _ Hyperion _ while she’s here. “Vetra,” Ryder says. 

Vetra smiles and Ryder finds herself smiling back. There’s so much to be happy about today, starting with the fact that they’re both alive. And now they’re alone. 

Ryder takes a step towards Vetra, reaching out, ready to throw her arms around her. 

“Vetra, can you show me how to make that smiley face thing again? I want to send one to Kesh.” 

Ryder’s eyes close and her hands curl into fists. She will not yell at Drack. She will absolutely not yell at Drack. 

“Sure thing, old man,” Vetra says as she stands up. There’s no annoyance in her voice, no anger. Nothing to tell Drack that helping him isn’t exactly what she wants to do right now. It’s one of the reasons why Ryder loves her so much. 

“Hey, kid,” Drack says. “Wondered where you went off to. Hell of a fight there.” 

“Hell of a fight,” Ryder says, trying to be like Vetra and keep her voice calm. 

Ryder sits on the desk, swinging her legs back and forth, while Vetra patiently shows Drack how to make an emoji. Once he leaves, and the door shuts safely behind him, she says, “SAM? Please lock the door. And hold any messages for thirty minutes.” 

Vetra raises her brow plates as she walks over to Ryder. Standing between her legs, Vetra leans down, pressing her brown against hers. A turian gesture, one that Ryder loves. 

But something Ryder also loves? Kissing. Ryder slides her hands around Vetra’s waist, earning a sharp intake of breath. Vetra knows exactly what Ryder wants - she always does - and kisses her gently. 

When they break apart, Ryder keeps still as Vetra starts to unseal the latches of her hard suit. “SAM?” Vetra asks. “Make that an hour.” 


	4. Liam - Because I missed you Kiss

He’s really got to stop listening to the comms when Ryder’s on a mission without him.

_There they are!_ Ryder yells as Liam can only clench his fists, wishing it was him watching her six. Been wishing that for the last four hours, really.  _Take those skkutters out!_

_You swore! You fucking swore!_   _You never swear!_ Even with his girlfriend running head first into a firefight, even Liam can still smile at the amazement in Vetra’s voice.

_Swearing in an alien language does not count!_

“It counts,” Liam says under his breath as he starts to pace. “Totally counts.”

Damnit, he should be down there with her. He gets why he’s not. A bit of punishment for some of the shit he’s pulled. Totally earned. But it doesn’t change the fact that she’s fighting total assholes right now and he’s not.

He listens to the fight, trying to picture her moves. Ryder is amazing in the field, a freaking tank, bulldozing everything in her way. And the way she holds her assault rifle-

_Son of a bench that hurt!_ Ryder says, causing Liam to stop pacing. They should have armor cams. They totally need armor cams. Maybe Gil can whip something up, like, right now. Then maybe the worst-case scenario will stop running through his head a million times.

It’s an open comm line, so technically he can talk to her, make sure she’s okay. But he knows her. He does something like that and he’ll keep sitting on the bench a long time. And he wants to be back in the field, pronto.

Luckily Cora asks the question Liam wants to hear.  _Good show, Cora._

_You okay, Ryder?_

_Yeah, I’ll be fine. Shields mostly held. Liam? I know you’re listening. Date night’s off. Gonna take me forever to patch my armor tonight._

Just like that, Liam can’t stop smiling. Okay, yeah, it’s not good that she just got hit by a kett. At least he thinks it’s a kett. It sounds like they’re fighting kett. And what else is there really to fight on Eos?

But she just told the squad about date night.

If Liam could, he’d pay for an ad on the HNS, let the entire cluster know that he and Ryder are together. But he’s pretty sure she wouldn’t like that. This is the next best thing, though. Her, talking casually about them, like it’s no big deal.

Even though it’s a really big deal. One of the biggest deals in his life.

The fight ends, and Liam listens to them decide to head back to a forward station for an extraction. It gives him an idea. Why’s date night got to be called off on account of armor, right? Better just to change the date.

“SAM?”

_Yes, Liam?_

“Where’s Ryder keep her patch kit?”

This is perfect. He can have everything ready for her when she gets back on the ship. And he’s been wanting to change his gun mod for a while, just couldn’t find the time. This? Two birds with one stone. They’ll get better gear. And get to have a bit of a date at the same time.

_The Loadout room. I can provide detailed instructions once you’re there._

“Thanks, mate,” Liam says, leaving his room.

By the time he’s gathered everything, her patch kit, two MREs and two beers for dinner, plus three choices for a vid after they finish, the cargo bay ramp starts to open.

The Nomad drives in quickly with the ramp starting to close the moment it’s parked. Liam puts his bounty in his room and then goes to lean against the doorway. Ryder’s helmet is thrown out of the Nomad first, and then she hops out in one fluid motion.

She meets his eye and walks over to him, even before taking off her weapons. “Figured you’d be waiting,” she says with a smile. “I’m fine. Really.”

“Don’t I know it?” Liam asks. “You’re always fine.” And he hopes that never changes. Ever. And without thinking, he grabs her hand and pulls her close, kissing her softly on the lips. But then he makes the mistake of breathing deeply through his nose and starts to cough.

She smell  _awful._

“You earned that, Costa,” Ryder says, laughing as she pushes him away. “Next time, don’t kiss a gal who’s been out in the field before she showers.”

“I’ve kissed you before after field work-”

“Yeah, when you smelled just as bad as I did,” Ryder says as she starts to unlatch her chestpiece. “I drew the short straw, shower wise. I’m gonna grab my patch kit while I wait.”

“No need,” Liam says, feeling a bit proud of himself. “Take a look.”

He grabs her hand and they walk into his room. “What’s this?” she asks, looking down at the chest holding her kit and the MREs.

“Date night,” Liam says, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t take rejection lightly, Ryder.”

“You did this?” she asks with a smile, making Liam’s stomach get a bit jumpy. A good sort of jumpy, but jumpy nonetheless. She takes a step closer. “Liam, I could kiss you-"

“Oh no, not until you shower,” Liam says, holding up his hands to protect himself. It’s not like he even cares about the smell; they’ve all smelled like shit once in awhile. Well, except Jaal. He never smells bad. Ever. But it’s part of the game they’re playing right now.

“Well, if you’re gonna be that way about it,” Ryder says. “I guess I’ll go get naked in the shower, where I’ll be under warm water, running my hands up and down my body…”

“You put it that way, can I join you?” Liam asks, perking up. Why didn’t _he_  think of that? Much better date night than his idea.

Ryder makes a show of thinking about her answer before grabbing his hand. Now the jumpiness has moved down a bit lower. And he’s definitely okay with that. And definitely okay with the change of plans.

Patch work and dinner can wait.


	5. Liam - The Naughty List

 “Okay, so you’re probably tired of me asking,” Liam says, looking down at Ryder. “And I get it, I do. It’s just once I press this button,” he holds out his omni-tool to her. Does she get it? Of course she does, she’s _Ryder,_ she’s one of the smartest people he’s ever known. But does she really get it? “there’s no turning back. You’re recorded. Naked. On my omni-tool. Forever.”

Ryder brings the sheets up over her breasts and covers her mouth. It’s adorable as all hell the way she does that. And is that a hint of a blush? Liam hopes so. He really likes the idea of making her blush. A lot. Probably more than he should, but who cares, right? It’s just the two of them. Naked and in her quarters. More like his quarters, too, with the amount of time he spends here. He wonders if they should talk about that. Maybe it’s time he officially moves in. They’ve been together long enough.

“It’s like you’re trying to talk me out of this,” Ryder says with a laugh. _Fuck_ , he loves making her laugh. One of the best things in the galaxy, really. “Liam, I know the risks. But I trust you. And besides, SAM won’t let anything happen to the recording.”

Liam’s heart does a weird pitter-patter thing when she says the word _trust._ Almost as great as hearing her say that she loves him. Not quite, though. Almost. “SAM?” Liam asks. Might as well go to the source, yeah? “If anyone hacks our ‘tools?”

_It will be in my power to erase any evidence that the recording took place. There will never be any danger of discovery._

“That’s what I like to hear,” Liam says. Good old SAM, always willing to help a mate out. He looks back down at Ryder, who’s tossed the sheet aside, wearing nothing but her birthday suit. God _damn_ , she’s beautiful. A soldier like him, and it shows in every muscle. “Alright, so the omni-recorder is ready. You ready?”

A slow smile crosses her face and Liam knows she’s ready. He’s never done this before, recorded himself having sex. Wanted to, definitely. But never found a woman willing to indulge that side of him. Until Ryder. One night, after having probably one too many drinks, they started what he now calls the naughty list. Horrible name, he knows. But they already have a list full of things they want to do and he doesn’t want them getting the two confused. So naughty list it is. And this was at the very top.

“Come here,” she says, almost in a whisper, as she reaches out her hand. That’s all the invitation he needs. Liam lays down on top of her, never getting enough of skin on skin. She’s the most amazing combination of hard muscle and soft skin and his hands just want to touch her _everywhere._

They kiss - and it’s fucking good, because kissing Ryder is _always_ good - but he starts to think of the omni-cam watching them.

“Wait,” Liam says, breaking off their kiss as he pushes himself up on his forearms. “Shit, this isn’t working.”

“Seems like it’s working pretty good to me,” Ryder says, propping herself on an elbow.

Her hand’s around his cock now and _fuck_ it takes him a second to remember why he stopped. _Long game_ , _Kosta, forget short term gains,_ Liam thinks to himself. “We’re at the wrong angle,” he says, holding back a moan. It’s really not bloody fair how good she is with her hands. “All we’ll see is my bum.”

“Sounds like my kind of vid,” Ryder says. She gives his cock a slight squeeze and it’s really not fair. How’s he supposed to think under these conditions? “A vid just of your ass? Yes, please.”

“Supposed to be something we both enjoy,” Liam says with a snort. Not that he thinks he has a bad ass, mind you. He works pretty damn hard to have a decent looking ass. But for this? He wants to see them both.

Ryder bites her bottom lip and it’s bloody adorable, like she is, but then before he’s even got a chance to process that thought, she pushes him over onto his back. She swings her leg over his hips, straddling him. Now this, he likes. No kissing, which is a shame, but nothing beats this view. “This more what you thinking of?” she asks, rolling her hips against his.

“Getting closer,” Liam says, sliding his hands up her thighs to settle on her hips.

“Should we do it like the vids?” Ryder asks, laughing, and his hearts stutters because it’s _her._ But as she’s sliding her hands up her body, Liam stills, because she apparently wants to give him a show and he has absolutely no problem with that. Her fingers tangle in her hair as she starts to moan. “Oh, Liam. Yes, right there. _Fuck,_ oh Liam!”

She’s bouncing up and down and okay, her breasts look good. Really good. But she’s faking so badly that Liam can’t keep himself from laughing. “What? No,” he says, pulling Ryder down on top of him. He tries to kiss her and he thinks she’s trying to kiss him, too. She’s laughing and he’s laughing and they’re both just fucking _laughing_.

“I love you,” she says when they finally catch their breath and Liam’s heart grows about three sizes.

“I love you, too,” he says, kissing her shoulder. How in the hell did he get so lucky? Even now, Liam still doesn’t understand it, he every day, he’s grateful.

“Here, sit up,” Ryder says, scratching his stomach. It shouldn’t feel that good, but is always does.

Liam leans back against the headboard as Ryder straddles his hips. He can tell exactly what she’s going for and he’s absolutely okay with this development. “Try again?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. “We can cut the stuff in the beginning.”

“Oh no,” Liam says. He kisses her hard as he wraps his arms around her. He wants to be close now, as close as they can be. “We’re absolutely keeping that.”

Cause that, the laughing and mistakes, is _exactly_ the kind of thing he’ll want to see in fifty years when they’re old and grey. Who would have thought they’d make the perfect sex tape on the first try?


End file.
